Hart Slams Fischer Over Rerouted Funds (AUDIO)

Louisville businessman Ed Hart continues to speak out against Mayor Greg Fischer, accusing him of misleading donors and withholding funds that should be intended for charity.

Hart has submitted paperwork with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance as evidence in a complaint filed by Metro Council candidate Curtis Morrison. The case alleges Fischer violated state campaign finance law and solicited funds for his inaugural celebration, but instead used them to pay down his personal campaign debt while in office.

Hart says Fischer deceived contributors about how inaugural funds were spent and has ignored numerous requests to send the money to charity.

“Why would any politician want to accept donations from people who are saying, ‘wait a second, it was never our intention to give you those donations.’ And then the bottom line is Greg Fischer is a wealthy man. Any surplus donations to the inauguration would go to a charity. Why Greg Fischer would want to keep that money and deny it from going to a local charity totally befuddles me,” he says.

The mayor’s attorney responded to the initial complaint by saying all of the checks were deposited properly, but Hart says a member of Fischer’s campaign staff told contributors to make checks payable to “Greg Fischer for Mayor” and not the inaugural celebration.

Hart is again asking that the mayor return money meant for last year’s inauguration that instead paid down the mayor’s personal campaign debt.

“We certainly expected that money to wind up in the inauguration coffers, not in Greg Fischer’s pocket. They’re back filling to try to come up with a plausible reason why it was alright for Greg Fischer to retain our donations that were clearly earmarked for the inauguration,” he says.

Fischer’s attorney could not be reach for comment.

The KREF has yet to determine a hearing date for the complaint, but Fischer is seeking to have it dismissed.